I bought this for my wife and I admit that I thought it is crazy to spend this amount of cash on a glorified coffee pot. She already had a nice Breville expresso maker but didn't use it. Basically it was too hard to operate and clean. This machine is almost totally hands free. Push a button and get a coffee. Push a button and get a latte. At the end of the day turn it off and it rinses tiself. You only have to dump the grounds and clean the trays. I can't comment on reliability or durability but it makes awesome coffee. It is an extravagance but it you love expresso or latte and don't like hassle it is well worth the price.
I'm coming up on a year with this machine in December. It can be a little picky about the beans (not oily). But with lavazza super crema beans, it performs quite well. I very seldom get a shot that I don't like. I vary my drinks day to day, and enjoy straight espresso, cortados, lattes, and occasionally coffee. It doesn't disappoint in either of the modes. I don't like that if I program my drink (2 shot espresso) and double tap the start button, it will simply pull double the volume, and not do a full 2 cycles of the double shot. There is a noticeable difference in the quality of the shots when I do this.
When prompted by the machine that it’s time to clean, find the “clean” option under the various cleaning programs and be prepared to follow the instructions it gives you. This is usually as quick as emptying the grounds tray and pressing the rotary dial one more time. Please a cup or jug under the spout to capture the cleaning waste that will be dispelled from the machine. You will hear the machine perform an initial rinse, and then prompt you to add the cleaning tablet which will be inserted into the pre-ground coffee compartment. After another push of the rotary button, the machine will go through an approximately 20 minute cycle so you’ll want to do it when you have a bit of time.
This super-automatic Jura Capresso ENA 5 coffee machine does produce a tasty cup of coffee, no doubt about it. But we are concerned about its ability to hold up under pressure (literally, with flying milk nozzles!). For the kind of cash that this machine requires, most customers would likely be happier with another Jura model (the S9, perhaps) or another brand of super-automatic coffee machine.
There’s no steam wand for heating and foaming milk, but the Dolce Gusto system has its own way of doing that: drinks such as cappuccinos and lattes are made with two pods: one coffee pod and one special milk pod, used in the amounts specified on the pod lid. Drinking milk expelled from a pod isn’t as appetising as fresh cow juice, we think you’ll agree – but it’s less effort and less mess.
If you have some experience in the world of specialty coffee drinks, skip this short section in our Jura E8 coffee machine review, as you already know all of this. If you’re new to the game and coming from the world of drip-brew coffee, keep reading, because there’s a key difference between how espresso is made versus how your beloved drip-brew machine works.
Flipping open the tank lid reveals a plastic wand that houses a charcoal water filter pod (one is provided in the box). The filter setup sits within a special receptacle on the tank's interior left side. According to Capresso, the gadget will remove up to 82 percent of "the chlorine and other impurities found in tap water, and will do so for about six weeks, assuming you make one pot (10 cups) daily. It's a nice option to have, especially if you live in an area with substandard water, although remembering to swap in a new filter can be a drag.
Jura machines all have self-cleaning technologies that prevent scaling, powder buildup, and other problems typical of the industry. That being said, you will need to become familiar with and regularly purchase self-cleaning fluids and tablets that the machine uses to maintain itself. These products are typically included on the page where you buy, but in the event that they are not, we have you covered in our reviews.
You also get programmable push-button controls for milk, hot water and espresso outputs and given the fact that the 1003380 Accademia dispenses great beverages on demand, it’s great for those who don’t like to wait for long before their drink is ready. In total, there are 7 buttons that you can use in order to prepare one of the following drinks hot water, latte macchiato, latte, cappuccino, cafe lungo, cafe and of course, espresso.